TechCrunch Daily Crunch
1,912 episodes — Page 5 of 39
Anthropic brings agentic plugins to Cowork
Plus - Bluesky issues its first transparency report, noting rise in user reports and legal demands; The iPhone just had its best quarter ever Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2025 was the year AI got a vibe check
Money was no object for the AI industry in early 2025. A vibe check crept in the second half of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon’s Ring rolls out controversial, AI-powered facial-recognition feature to video doorbells
Plus - Slack CEO Denise Dresser to join OpenAI as chief revenue officer; Three in 10 US teens use AI chatbots every day, but safety concerns are growing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Netflix doubles down on video podcasts
Plus - Instagram brings Reels to the big screen; DoorDash rolls out an AI social app for discovering new restaurants Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Inside Uzbekistan’s nationwide license plate surveillance system
Across Uzbekistan, a network of about a hundred banks of high-resolution roadside cameras continuously scan vehicles’ license plates and their occupants, sometimes thousands a day, looking for potential traffic violations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok Shop launches digital gift cards
Plus - ChatGPT launches a year-end review like Spotify Wrapped Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI is reportedly trying to raise $100B at an $830B valuation
Plus - TikTok agrees to deal to cede control of US business to American investor group; Netflix is betting on podcasts to become the new daytime talk show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ChatGPT’s mobile app hits $3B in consumer spending
Plus - Rivian rolls out new ‘Universal Hands-Free’ driving feature; Instacart’s AI-driven pricing tool attracted attention — now the FTC has questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube will stream the Oscars exclusively
Plus - Google launches Gemini 3 Flash; YouTube to pull music data from Billboard’s charts because it doesn’t like its ranking formula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Facebook Messenger’s desktop app is no more
Plus - Netflix responds to concerns about WBD deal; Snapchat rolls out its end-of-year Recaps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump’s AI executive order promises ‘one rulebook’ — startups may get legal limbo instead
Plus, Reddit argues it isn’t like other social platforms in case against Australia’s social media ban. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Disney signs deal with OpenAI
Plus - Disney hits Google with cease-and-desist claiming ‘massive’ copyright infringement; Google’s AI try-on feature for clothes now works with just a selfie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ChatGPT is Apple’s most downloaded app of 2025 in the US
Plus - Amazon now offers same-day delivery of perishable groceries in 2,300 US cities; YouTube TV to launch genre-based subscription plans in 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Paramount battles with Netflix over Warner Bros.
Plus - TikTok adds a space for organizing content with others, teases ‘Shared Feeds’; Claude Code is coming to Slack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros
Plus, the New York Times is suing Perplexity for copyright infringement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok rolls out a ‘Nearby Feed’
Plus - Spotify says Wrapped 2025 is its biggest yet, with 200M+ users in its first day; Amazon reportedly considering dropping USPS and building a competing postal service Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify Wrapped 2025 adds its first multiplayer feature with ‘Wrapped Party’
Spotify Wrapped is back. After last year’s widely criticized flop that included an AI podcast as its highlight, the streamer’s highly anticipated annual review feature has returned to its roots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon starts testing ‘ultra-fast’ 30-minute deliveries
Plus - Bending Spoons agrees to buy Eventbrite for $500M; YouTube releases its first-ever recap of videos you’ve watched Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon’s AI chatbot drove sales on Black Friday
Plus - The latest in startup business news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Find Your Grind raises $5M to grow platform empowering students to explore unique career paths
If you’re a fan of the punk scene from the early 2000s, you may recognize Nick Gross, the drummer for the band Goldfinger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI learned the hard way that Cameo trademarked the word ‘cameo’
Plus, Fleet Space finds massive lithium deposit using AI and satellites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A new AI benchmark tests whether chatbots protect human wellbeing
Plus, US banks scramble to assess data theft after hackers breach financial tech firm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SpaceX’s upgraded Starship suffers explosion during testing
Plus, despite Chinese hacks, Trump’s FCC votes to scrap cybersecurity rules for phone and internet companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google releases Nano Banana Pro
Plus - YouTube tests an in-app private messaging feature again; Spotify’s latest feature lets you transfer playlists from other services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify’s new features let listeners explore the people and stories behind their favorite music
Plus - Target joins OpenAI’s growing list of retail apps; TikTok will now give you badges for limiting your doomscrolling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta wins antitrust trial
Plus - Toyota keeps betting on hybrid vehicles in the US; Hank Green’s Focus Friend is Google Play’s app of the year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta releases a new tool to protect reels creators
Plus - Ford turns to Amazon to give used cars sales a boost; Google rolls out its AI ‘Flight Deals’ tool globally Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI says it’s fixed ChatGPT’s em dash problem
Plus, five people plead guilty to helping North Koreans infiltrate US companies as ‘remote IT workers.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Firefighters received chemical burns at Elon Musk’s Boring Company site
Plus, the EU launches antitrust probe into how Google’s anti-spam policy affects publishers’ search rankings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Airbnb’s testing a ‘kitchen stocking’ service
Plus - Radio streamer TuneIn acquired for $175M; Anthropic announces $50 billion data center plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Threads is targeting podcasters
Plus - Google Pixel update adds battery-saving maps mode, AI photo remixing, and smarter notifications Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google Maps gets new AI tools
Plus - Google brings Gemini to the Google TV Streamer; Venmo launches cash back rewards program for debit cards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon launches a low-price standalone shopping app
Plus, the Texas AG sued Roblox, accusing it of prioritizing ‘pixel pedophiles’ over child safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sam Altman says he doesn’t want the government to bail out OpenAI if it fails
Plus - The latest in startup business news in about 1 minute Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple nears deal to pay Google $1B annually to power new Siri
Plus - Google Maps bakes in Gemini to improve navigation and hands-free use; Tinder to use AI to get to know users, tap into their Camera Roll photos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify now has half a million video podcasts
Plus - Anthropic projects $70B in revenue by 2028; Netflix in talks to license video podcasts from iHeartMedia, report says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok announces its first awards show in the US
Plus - OpenAI and Amazon ink $38B cloud computing deal; Facebook Groups can now go public without exposing members’ private posts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Perplexity strikes multi-year licensing deal with Getty Images
Plus, AWS exceeds Wall Street’s expectations as demand for cloud infra remains high. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nvidia is reportedly investing up to $1 billion in Poolside
Plus - YouTube announces ‘voluntary exit program’ for US staff; Threads now lets you approve and filter your replies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nvidia becomes first public company worth $5 trillion
Plus: Bending Spoons to acquire AOL; GM cuts thousands of EV and battery factory workers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI completes its for-profit recapitalization
Plus - Amazon to cut 14,000 corporate jobs; Apple and Microsoft are now both worth more than $4T Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI says over a million people talk to ChatGPT about suicide weekly
Plus - Amazon reportedly plans to cut around 30,000 corporate jobs; Threads adds ‘ghost posts’ that disappear after 24 hours Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rivian will pay $250M to settle lawsuit over R1 price hike
Plus - Automattic files counterclaims against WP Engine in WordPress lawsuit, alleging trademark misuse; Can steroids combat population collapse? The Enhanced Games wants to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube paid out $8B to the music industry in 12 months
Microsoft’s Mico is a ‘Clippy’ for the AI era; Microsoft launches an AI browser nearly identical to OpenAI’s Atlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon unveils AI smart glasses for its delivery drivers
Tinder will require new users in the US to verify their identity with a selfie; Instagram rolls out custom icons…but only for teens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube’s likeness-detection technology has officially launched
Plus - X is testing a pay-per-use pricing model for its API; OpenAI launches an AI-powered browser: ChatGPT Atlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta AI’s app downloads and daily users spiked after launch of ‘Vibes’ AI video feed
Plus - U.S. and Australia sign $3B critical minerals deal; Spotify now lets you follow venues to get details on upcoming concerts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta previews new parental controls for its AI experiences
Plus, OpenAI pauses Sora video generations of Martin Luther King Jr. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify partners with record labels to create ‘artist-first’ AI music products
Plus - Amazon launches pay-per-visit virtual healthcare service for kids; Pinterest adds controls to let you limit the amount of ‘AI slop’ in your feed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta partners up with Arm to scale AI efforts
Plus - OpenAI has five years to turn $13 billion into $1 trillion; Facebook brings back job listings in the US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices